


Partners in Health

by Galactic_Yakult



Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Hospital, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:01:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29396625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galactic_Yakult/pseuds/Galactic_Yakult
Summary: Yunho, BoA, and Changmin are medical students at Harvard. Together, they fight to bring universal healthcare to developing countries. Inspired by Netflix's documentary on the NGO Partners in Health: "Bending the Arc."
Relationships: Jung Yunho & Shim Changmin, Jung Yunho (DBSK)/Kwon Boa | BoA, Jung Yunho (DBSK)/Kwon Boa | BoA/Shim Changmin
Kudos: 2





	Partners in Health

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cosmicmacchiato](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cosmicmacchiato/gifts).



Like every morning, Yunho turns on his desk lamp before the sun rises, revising and letting medical terms slip out of his mouth here and there. Like every morning, Changmin groans and pulls his blanket over his head. 

Yunho and Changmin are roommates, both studying in Harvard Medical School, both Korean. However, that’s pretty much where their commonalities end. Other than the difference in their ability to wake up early, they also have vastly different personalities and aspirations. 

Yunho’s a people person, often inviting friends over until late at night to Changmin’s dismay, while Changmin would rather read alone in peace. This difference in personality also leads to the difference in their aspirations: Yunho wants to be a clinician and save as many lives as possible; while Changmin is thinking of switching gears after graduation to the pharmaceutical industry, making much more money while having to deal with much less people.

Another important difference between them, one which makes Changmin tolerate Yunho’s ungodly studying hours, is their natural talent in studying. Changmin is well aware of his privilege in talent compared to Yunho, and also knows the amount of shit Yunho had to go through to get here. 

In this particular morning, Changmin remembers Yunho’s story about how he had to sleep on the subway in Seoul when he first moved there alone to a prestigious high school; realizes that this bed and blanket, even with Yunho’s annoying studying, are much more than enough.

Changmin always complains and tells Yunho he’s being nice by tolerating him, but deep down he knows, every time he sees Yunho’s name (still slightly below himself though, of course) at the top part of the class rankings, he’s actually damn proud.

...

“That Kwon Bo-Ah!”

Yunho is surprised to enter his professor’s office just to hear him shout a friend’s name in exasperation. 

“Ah Yunho, sorry I was just off a phone call, can you believe that Kwon Bo-Ah? She’s been stealing medical equipment and expensive medicines, but of course Dr. Farmer lets her off the hook, being the golden child she is. Come, sit,” the bespectacled man motions Yunho to the seat in front of his desk.

Yunho nods and promptly sits. Professor Lee Soo-Man is also a Korean, and a highly regarded professor at Harvard. He’s been taking Yunho under his wing. Even though Yunho’s still in training to become a doctor, not yet in graduate school, his stellar grades and work ethic has made Professor Lee assign him grunt work for research projects.

“How can I help you, Professor Lee?”

Yunho knows that Professor Lee only ever calls him to make him do something tedious, but he figures it’s strategic to be on the Professor’s good side, opening up future opportunities.

“I need you to compile the most cited papers on prevention measures of tuberculosis in developing countries. Good studying for you too. I want them on my desk today before 4 pm, is that fine with you?”

Yunho mentally sifts through his schedule for the day, deciding that he will not have lunch and use the time to compile the papers instead.

…

Yunho is screwed.

His 1-3 pm class got postponed to 2-4 pm, and now he has to run from the class to Professor Lee’s office, almost at the opposite end of the medical building. He’s already late, it’s just a matter of being the least late as possible. 

“Yo Yunho!”

Yunho doesn’t register who called him until he comes crashing into them. All the papers he photocopied from the library during lunchtime come flying. Yunho knows he’s really screwed now.

“Yo slow down! Here let me help,” Yunho finally registers the voice, the prodigy Kwon Bo-Ah.

As Yunho scrambles for the papers and Bo-Ah calmly picks up one, she puts out a small laugh.

“How’s being Lee Soo-Man’s lapdog treating you?”

And with that one question Yunho finally snaps.

“You know I’m not like you, I’m not a genius who can do whatever I want and get away with it, I need to secure connections, work my ass off. You may be a masters student now, but we’re the same age! If you still remember our roots, you know that you should at least treat me with a bit more respect, I-”

Yunho had been exploding while looking down, grabbing his scattered papers, and when he finally looked up, he’s frozen by Bo-Ah’s smile. An understanding, gentle smile, a smile he first saw almost a decade ago.

…

_  
_

_“Look at you, my son’s in love!”_

_Yunho quickly covered up the newspaper clipping he was about to put up on his bedroom wall._

_“Eomma! This isn’t love, it’s motivation!”_

_The newspaper clipping shows a 14-year old Bo-Ah smiling to the camera after being accepted as a Harvard undergraduate student._

_Yunho’s mother gave Yunho a smile of her own, albeit a sly one._

_“I know-I know. You will be successful like her, I trust my Jung Yunho-”_

....

“Jung Yunho!”

Yunho snaps back to a chuckling Bo-Ah, arms extended to hand him the papers she picked up.

“Don’t you know that many of these papers were written by old elites of the scientific community, who've only been to these places once for a single project?”

Yunho stays silent as he receives the papers, not knowing what to say.

“Dr. Farmer just got us funding to send more people to Haiti, to help out, maybe you and Changmin are interested?” Bo-Ah asks casually.

Yunho vaguely knows about Haiti, how Bo-Ah’s been flying back and forth every week to build a hospital there, how Professor Lee and many other elite professors have been complaining about wasted funding and stolen equipment/medicines for treating rather than preventing diseases in the developing world. Knows where Professor Lee is going with his latest assignment, knows that the Professors’ complaints are doubtful as they practically never stepped foot on where diseases hit people worst.

Knows that he should say yes.

“I’ll go, Changmin hates uncomfortable places though, so don’t know about him, but he’ll give in,” Yunho chuckles himself thinking of Changmin sleeping in a local’s house in rural Haiti.

Bo-Ah's smile went wider, and she grabbed Yunho’s arm.

“I was on my way to meet Dr. Farmer actually, so you should come with me and tell him in person,” Bo-Ah announces as she drags Yunho through the corridor, not really caring about whether he agrees or not.

Yunho just laughs, and as they pass a trash bin, he dramatically throws away the papers.

“You really do have a flair for the dramatic don’t you?”

Yunho smiles, and said the only thing that went through his mind at that time,

“Thank you.”


End file.
